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Otto Frisch

Otto Frisch

1 9.9
A physicist born in Austria who helped show that atoms can split and cause chain reactions
  • proper noun
: Otto Frisch
  • Alongside Lise Meitner, Otto Frisch discovered the principles of nuclear fission in the early 20th century.

Examples

  • Otto Frisch played a key role in explaining the physics behind nuclear fission.

  • After emigrating to Britain, Otto Frisch continued his groundbreaking research in physics.

  • The scientific achievements of Otto Frisch changed the course of history.

  • Otto Frisch was a brilliant physicist.

  • What did Otto Frisch discover?

  • Otto Frisch developed theories that greatly advanced our understanding of nuclear physics.

  • Otto Frisch significantly contributed to the field of physics and the study of nuclear reactions.

Synonyms

Otto Robert Frisch
vsOtto Frisch
9.8

A British physicist born in Austria who helped discover nuclear fission and explain chain reactions

is the shorter version omitting the middle name while keeping identical details

Surface Forms

Morphology

Otto + Frisch

This is a personal name (proper noun); knowing the constituent tokens ‘Otto’ and ‘Frisch’ (which have no dictionary meanings here) does not allow a learner to infer that the referent was a physicist or any biographical information. Proper names are arbitrary labels across languages and therefore not compositionally transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Otto Frisch was an Austrian-born British scientist who, with Lise Meitner, showed that a heavy atom can split — imagine breaking a cookie — and that one split can make other atoms split in a 'chain reaction'. That's why his name is linked to the idea of 'nuclear fission' and the large amount of energy it can release.